Chapter 6

When Tereak (no longer the "Abu" of his kin and townspeople in Malaysia, he had used his full name to register at school) first stepped onto the fences, well-manicured campus of Pamatau Preparatory Academy, he felt he had been transported to another planet. There were no dirt road and every walkway, path and drive was paved. There were well-placed tables in designated areas for the students to study or just converse and they were surrounded by the varied and lush vegetation of the "Pearl of the Pacific". The students were well-dressed, though casual, and most of the younger students, though in clean clothes, went barefoot. It looked almost as if the young people of his village had been magically transported to his new school, bathed, dressed in finery and told to walk about. Strangely, after completing the arduous required placement testing and administrative paperwork, Tereak felt comfortably at home.

Most of the students were white but there was a healthy mixture of Asians, much like the ones he had grown up with, and a smattering of blacks. He was anxious to make the acquaintances of those who looked more like him and it was not that difficult with the laid-back environment of PPA. His first class class of the day was to check in at home room and the room of 20 or so students fortuitously had 4 black students among the whites, Asians and islanders. After observing them for a day, he determined that he would strike up a conversation with whoever he could find the next day.

As the school day ended, he made the short walk back to the apartment his mother’s parents had moved into to be close to the school. Chester and Maureen Dunston were delighted to have their grandson home with them and the apartment, provided as part of Tereak’s "scholarship" was certainly an upgrade from their previous one. Maureen worked as a bank teller and Chester, well, was between jobs, as he often was. Both of the adults thought the whole arrangement would work out perfectly for their new houseguest. Both were home when Tereak sauntered in after his first day at the new school.

"Well, how was the first day, little man?" Chester asked.

"Not too bad, Grandpa. They all seem to be pretty nice."

"Did you meet any new friends?" Maureen inquired.

"Nah," said Tereak, "we were all running around finding our classes today. Tomorrow will be better."

"I am sure it will, Tereak" Maureen reassured him. "Now go study while I get supper ready."

Tereak nodded and made his way down the short hallway to his room. There were only the three of them in a two bedroom apartment so, for the first time, he had his own room and real privacy. He took his well-worn Qu’ran from its hiding place, gingerly unwrapped it and just stared at it for a few minutes. He thought back to his teacher and their afternoon meetings. He missed him so but, as he had promised, he quickly opened the holy book and began reading appropriately, from the beginning, feeling each word lift his spirits and his heart. After 20 minutes or so, he took out his prayer mat and, for the first time since arriving in his new world, prayed to Mecca and Medina as he had so many times with the old Mullah. He was careful to speak the words of the Salah quietly. His new grandparents were not Muslim but Christians. He must begin his life-long practice of stealth when practicing his faith. He did not mind as he knew it was necessary to begin the process of "fitting in" in the infidel’s world. He would become a master of it with time.

Just as he was finishing, he heard a soft voice at his door. "Time for supper, Tereak". It was Maureen. He answered "Be there in second, Grams", using the name they had decided on using when he was first met at the airport by the two American strangers that were his kin. For Tereak, the two were not family - he had never known them before arriving in Hawaii - but they were his caretakers, at least for now, and he knew he should be respectful.

When he came to the kitchen, he found both Chester and Maureen already seated. Spread on the table were peas, corn, bread and pork chops. Tereak knew that, as a Muslim, the meat was forbidden but he quickly remembered what his teacher had told him their last day together:

"You are allowed the evils of the infidels because your duty as a warrior for Allah, Praise be unto His Name, exceeds the rules of the ordinary Muslim."

He ate everything Maureen had put on his plate but he had to consciously force the pork down his throat. Life amongst the impure would be difficult but Tereak, the young warrior, would make any sacrifice, suffer any indignity and do as he was expected as parts of his life’s mission. To both his mullah and Allah he had sworn an oath to do just that and he would never allow himself to forget it.

When supper was over, Chester retired to his easy chair and turned on the television for the news and whatever inane shows he usually watched. Maureen cleaned in the kitchens, the washing of dishes chattering in the background. Though he was revolted by the effort, Tereak accepted Chester’s invitation to sit in his lap and "watch the tube for a while". He lasted 15 minutes and then announced he had reading to do for school and escaped to the solitude of his bedroom. In fact, he had no homework; he just had to get away from the smell of pork and the alcohol already on Chester’s breath.

He settled on a comic book and let his mind rest for the evening in the banality of the adventures of Superman and Batman. His new world was tiring and wearing two faces required all his youthful energy. He grew tired and finally put his books away, stripped down to his underwear and turned out the lights. It was 8:30. He wondered what time it was back in his village and imagined what his grandfather might be doing in his hut. The thoughts calmed his heart and soon, sleep feel over him. He welcomed it as he knew his journey was long and he was satisfied that his first steps had been handled expertly.

But, he also knew, all the steps would be not be so easy. His dreams that night, as for many to come, were of his old home and his teacher so far away. They gave him strength and steeled him for the days to come.